Escapement-lever for watches



(K0 ModeL) W. B. SIMPSON. ESGAPEMENT LEVER FOR WATCHES.

No. 837,529. Patented M'aJr. 9, 1886.

INVENTOR S S. E N T I W ATTORNEYS.

N. PETERS, PholwLilhognpher, Washing n NITED STATES WILLIAM B. SIMPSON, OF HOLDEX,

MISSOURI.

ESCAPEMENT-LEVER FOR WATCi-SES- SPECIFECABIQN forming part of Letters Patent No. 337,529, dated March 9, 1886.

Application filed July 13, 1885.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, WILLIAM B. SIMPSON, of Holden, in the county of Johnson and State of Missouri, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Lever -Escapements for Watches and other Time-Pieces, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

The invention relates to watches, clocks, and other time-pieces in which a lever-escapement is used, and it has for its object the more perfect and easy adjustment of the lever-fork, upon which the accuracy of the time-piece so largely depends.

The invention consists in a novel construction and combination of parts whereby the lever-fork of the escapement can be readily adjusted forward or back ward relatively to the ruby-pin of the roller-plate of the movement without taking the watch apart and while the balance-wheel is 011, thus enabling a person to niakethe necessary adjustmentwhile the timepiece is in working order, thereby securing the most perfect accuracy, and this without interfering with theproper perpendicular position of the ruby and fork pins.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, in which similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure 1 represents a back view of a watch movement, in part, having my invention applied; Fig. 2, a transverse section on theline w m in Fig. 1; Fig. 3, an outer face view, upon a larger scale, of the adjustable lever-fork, showing also thelevcr pallet; Fig. 4, a section on the line 3 y in Fig. 3, and Fig. 5 a section on the line 2 z in Fig. 3.

A is the leverfork, and 1) its pin, that engages with the roller-plate B on the balancestaffc, which carries the balance-wheel G of the watch.

D is theleverpallet, and d the staff or arbor which carries it and the lever-fork.

E is the back plate of the movement.

The lever-fork A is made adjustable on or across the face of the lever-pallet toward or from the roller-plate, as required, to correct inaccuracy in the movement, as follows: Said fork is constructed with a longitudinal slot, 6, through it, extending to opposite sides of the staft'd, and having either rounded or square Serial No. 171,500.

No model.)

ends. This slot serves to receive in close fit through it on opposite sides of the arbordthe shoulders f of two screws, G G,which engage by their shanks with the leverpallet D, and which serve, by their heads binding on the outer face of thelever-fork, to hold said fork, when adjusted forward or backward. as required, to its place on the lever-pallet and in proper relation to the roller-plate. The shouldersff of said screws serve to keep the lever-fork from shifting laterally both when being adjusted and when adjusted.

In the outer surface of the plate E a recess, g,is made with two apertures, h h,in its bottom, arranged over the heads of the screws GG, and of sufficient size to receive a screwdriver through them in all adjustments of the leverfork to loosen or tighten said screws as re quired. A thin removable plate, 73, (shown only in Fig. 2,) may be insert-ed in the recess g, to exclude dust, after the necessary adj ustment of the lever-fork has been made.

To adjust the lever-fork A as described, the platei is removed, and when the balancewheel 0 covers, as shown, one of the screwsG and aperture h in the plate E over the same said screw is loosened before fitting the balance-wheel to its place, the other or forward screw G-that is, the one nearestthe rollerplate B-being sufficient, or temporarily at least, to hold the lever-fork in position. By loosening said forward screw G the lever-fork A may then be adjusted forward or backward, as required, to correct any inaccuracy in the beat of the movement while the balance wheel is on and the watch is in working order, and said screw afterward be secured. The balancewheel may then be taken out of the movement, and the other screw G be tightened, and said wheel besubsequently replaced.

Unlike other lever-fork adjustments, it will be seen that there is no necessity to take the watch apart in'order to make the adjustment, and such adjustment may be determined with the balance on and-the time-piece in running order, and such adjustment may be made by almost any unskilled person. Even the temporary removal above referred to of the balancewheel may be dispensed with when said wheel does not cover the one screw G, and there is no liability in making the adjustment to bend or interfere with the proper perpendicular position of the ruby and fork pins, and the mostacourate adjustment maybe made.

If desired, a scale may be arranged on the leverfork to facilitate the adjustment.

Having thus described my invention,I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent 1. In lever-escapements of watches and other timepieces, the lever-fork A, having alongitudinal slot, 6, arranged to extend on opposite sides of its staff, substantially as and 1'01 the purposes herein set forth.

2. In lever-escapements of watches and other timepieces. the combination, with the lever-pallet D. of thelever-fork A, having a longitudinal slot, e, the staff d, the perforated plate E, and the screws G G, whereby. the lever-fork may be adjusted forward or backward without taking the watch apart and while the balance-wheel is on, essentially as specified.

8. The combination of the screws G, having" 

